Mark Wahlberg’s physique and acting chops have been important in his decades-long career. Like his Pain and Gain co-star The Rock, Wahlberg is always in the gym working on his body. But his latest role required him to not be in top physical condition. His transformation from muscular to overweight shocked many fans. With the new film now in post-production, the actor spoke on increasing his calories to gain weight and regretting it.
Mark Wahlberg is always transforming his body for his role, and Stu was no different. This time, he gained weight instead of losing. Apparently, the experience wasn’t a great one for the actor. While eating whatever may seem fun, Wahlberg revealed how it isn’t as fun as one might think.
Unfortunately, I had to consume, for two weeks, 7,000 calories, and then for another two weeks, 11,000 calories. And it was fun for about an hour. It's such a hard, physical thing to do. Losing weight, you just kind of tough it out—you just don't eat, and exercise. And this, even when you're full, I would wake up after a meal and have another meal. I was eating every three hours. It was not fun.
Al least, Mark Wahlberg didn’t glamorize overeating and undereating to the audience. Doing both for a role can be risky to an actor’s health if not done properly. I think of the extreme transformations of Christian Bale. As Wahlberg pointed out, eating a huge number of calories in a brief period can overwhelming and damaging to the person. This wasn't the first time the Oscar-nominee addressed his weight gain. Luckily, Wahlberg was able to lose weight. But the actor’s candor was just a preview of what he thought.
In his interview with Jimmy Fallon, Mark Wahlberg was honest about packing on the pounds once you reach a certain age. Wahlberg admitted losing weight wasn’t as easy as it used to be. The actor said about losing and gaining weight at this time in his life:
Once the metabolism starts to slow down, it gets really difficult. I was trying to get this movie made for six years, we only had 30 days to shoot it, and so I wanted to really make it happen.
Like any actor, Mark Wahlberg was committed to making the movie happen even if that meant sacrificing his body. Losing and gaining weight becomes harder as you age. On The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, he did admit timing and financing pushed him to that extreme. This commitment made Wahlberg one of Hollywood’s most reliable stars.
While moviegoers wait for Stu to hit theaters, they can catch Mark Wahlberg in the biopic Joe Bell when arrives in theaters on July 23. But Stu and Joe Bell are just two of many projects Wahlberg has coming down the pipeline.
